Scriptwriter, playwright, producer, and director, Sello Maake KaNcube. Picture: Instagram @sellomkn
After a sold-out first season last year, The Suit is returning to Theatre on the Square next month.
The play, adapted from a short story by the iconic Can Themba, delves into themes of love, betrayal, and resilience during apartheid, with the legendary Sello Maake KaNcube in the lead role.
Speaking to The Citizen, Maake shared his thoughts on the return season and the play’s lasting impact.
“The return season is a result of the successful initial run. Our production of The Suit is a testament to great theatre and acting,” he said.
He added that the show’s success stems from its delivery and its relatability as it explores everyday challenges.
“The timelessness of The Suit is due to its universality. Issues of infidelity and how people react to it are what people gossip about.
“The fact that it continues to resonate with people and returns by popular demand is a result of the superlative acting by its cast.”
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Maake highlighted that theatre plays a big role in preserving and promoting South Africa‘s cultural heritage.
He described theatre as the public reflection through which society sees and recognises itself.
“Theatre serves as a mirror of society. It is the platform where the artist, writer, actor, and director exhibit their understanding of their community and their commitment to it.
“It is where they make that process public, and conjure public images, literal or figurative, in signs, sound, and movement. The public images in which our society recognises itself and confirms its identity.”
When he is not performing his magic in the theatre or on TV, Maake focuses on sharing his knowledge through his foundation’s incubation school in Dube Extension, Soweto.
He said this inspires him to challenge himself.
“It is when I am imparting my understanding of acting that I get rejuvenated. My mind and soul perform gymnastics that revitalise me.
“The late Barney Simon, who directed and co-created the play with the cast, once said that the only time you would know that you understand something is when you can articulate it in your own vocabulary.
“When I am in class with students, it is when I am living up to that treatise.”
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